“Loose fits are in,” declares Aparna Sunku, designer and boutique owner in Coimbatore. Hallelujah! No more letting out seams with a safety pin. “Cropped blouses are loose at the waist and the nicest thing is that they can multitask and be worn with skirts and trousers. Young women are loving it,” she says.
Many exciting things are happening with the sari blouse. It has come a long way from the 80cm of two-by-two ‘matching matching’ bits of fabric. “It is an interesting time for blouses,” says Delhi-based textile designer Rema Kumar. “Because everything is flexible and women are open to experimenting, a lot more thought is going into it. There are so many textures and fabrics to work with in our country.”
Mix and match is in, and women don’t think anything of wearing a Kalamkari with a Kancheevaram, she says. Tie and dye, Ajrak and Ikat are right up there with a Zardosi, a Benarasi or a Tussar and, oh yes, there is nothing like the Maharashtrian Khan to lend an arty touch to any sari.
There are regional influences, says Shampa Sur from Kolkata. She works with tailors and designs blouses for her clients. Bengal Renaissance (if you remember Suchitra Sen in Debi Chaudhurani ) is still making its presence felt in the fashion world of Kolkata, says Shampa. Puff sleeves, frills, laces, shimmery piping are all the rage.
“So are buttons — plenty of them — in the sides, at the back, on the cuffs… and zips in the back and side too. Little bows, ties with decorative tassels… there are a myriad designs and necklines,” says Deepthi Balagiri, who has 175 tailors giving shape to her blouses. Deepthi lives in Mumbai and has clients everywhere. “Mirror-work, sheer fabric, thread embroidery, long sleeves, short sleeves, crop tops, boat necks are hot favourites. But the elaborately embroidered and worked blouses that everyone rushed to have is now on the wane, unless it is for the bride. In Mumbai, the ‘Tree of Luck’ motif is a big hit,” she adds.
High necks rule, says Aparna, as does the floral print, and the three-fourth or even full sleeves. “Women don’t hesitate to wear floral blouses with even their traditional pattus . And it is not small prints, but big full-blown flowers in bold colours. Mostly, these blouses are worn with satin georgettes and other fancy saris. Parrots and other birds that were big have now made way for flowers,” she says.
There are no rules really, says Gauri Bhasin, known among her circle of friends for stylish blouses. “I do wacky things like cutting up cushion covers to make my blouses. Mirror-worked cushion covers are one-tenth the cost of mirror-worked blouse pieces,” she says. Wear a blouse that no one else can possibly find anywhere else, as it has been put together creatively by yourself, she says.
For Gauri, suggestive rather than in-your-face is the look. “I like the idea of using more material rather than less,” she says. Nanhi Mann, another natty dresser from Delhi, says that silk saris with checks are back, worn with Kalamkari blouses. “The whole transparent look, where the sleeves and back have sheer materials like net, is popular. Of course, there is bling too with elaborate embroidery and embellishments on the neck and back.” Rema transformed a beautiful Assamese sarong into an eye-catching blouse for herself.
Women now know that a badly tailored blouse can’t save the day — not even when they are wearing a Sabyasachi. But an eye-catching statement blouse can turn heads, even when you throw on a Rs.300 sari to go with it.
